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Shuttle-assisted charge transfer is pivotal for the efficient energy transduction from the food-stuff electrons to protons in the respiratory chain of animal cells and bacteria. The respiratory chain consists of four metalloprotein Complexes (I-IV) embedded in the inner membrane of a mitochondrion. Three of these complexes pump protons across the membrane, fuelled by the energy of food-stuff electrons. Despite extensive biochemical and biophysical studies, the physical mechanism of this proton pumping is still not well understood. Here we present a nanoelectromechanical model of the electron-driven proton pump related to the second loop of the respiratory chain, where a lipid-soluble ubiquinone molecule shuttles between the Complex I and Complex III, carrying two electrons and two protons. We show that the energy of electrons can be converted to the transmembrane proton potential gradient via the electrostatic interaction between electrons and protons on the shuttle. We find that the system can operate either as a proton pump, or, in the reverse regime, as an electron pump. For membranes with various viscosities, we demonstrate that the uphill proton current peaks near the body temperature $T approx 37 ^{circ}$C.
We propose a simple model of cytochrome c oxidase, including four redox centers and four protonable sites, to study the time evolution of electrostatically coupled electron and proton transfers initiated by the injection of a single electron into the
We present two models for electron-driven uphill proton transport across lipid membranes, with the electron energy converted to the proton gradient via the electrostatic interaction. In the first model, associated with the cytochrome c oxidase comple
We analyze the dynamics of rotary biomotors within a simple nano-electromechanical model, consisting of a stator part and a ring-shaped rotor having twelve proton-binding sites. This model is closely related to the membrane-embedded F$_0$ motor of ad
Muscle uses Ca2+ as a messenger to control contraction and relies on ATP to maintain the intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis. Mitochondria are the major sub-cellular organelle of ATP production. With a negative inner membrane potential, mitochondria take
We study the effect of permeabilizing electric fields applied to two different types of giant unilamellar vesicles, the first formed from EggPC lipids and the second formed from DOPC lipids. Experiments on vesicles of both lipid types show a decrease